A Comparative Study To Assess Oral Health Knowledge And Practices Amongst Medical And Paramedical Students In A Medical College, Hp

Abstract

Background: Dental caries is a major health problem affecting an estimated 90% of school children worldwide. Objective: To determine the relationship between oral health knowledge and practice among students. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a Medical College and Hospital, Solan, Himachal Pradesh (HP).  Data was collected using a pretested questionnaire on 200 randomly selected Medical and Paramedical students from the institution. The questionnaire contained questions to assess the respondents’ oral health knowledge, attitude and practices. Statistical analysis: The data was put into Microsoft Excel software and was analysed using SPSS 22. The level of significance was kept at 5%.  Results: The mean knowledge score of medical students was higher than that of paramedical students for 3 questions on oral health About 28% medical students visited dentist in pain in comparison to only 8% paramedical students. 10% medical students never visited a dentist in contrast 2% paramedical students. Both these differences were statistically highly significant (p value is 0.00000882) Conclusion: Oral health education should be a life-long practice and incorporated into the school as well as college environment with the support of teachers and parents.